Title: Introducing welding manufacturability in a multidisciplinary platform for the evaluation of conceptual aircraft engine components

Authors: Roland Stolt; Samuel André; Fredrik Elgh; Petter Andersson

Addresses: Department of Product Development, Jonkoping University, Jonkoping, Sweden ' Department of Product Development, Jonkoping University, Jonkoping, Sweden ' Department of Product Development, Jonkoping University, Jonkoping, Sweden ' GKN Aerospace Sweden AB, Sweden

Abstract: Computer simulations play an important role for evaluating designs in an early stages leading to that more informed decisions can be taken and thereby reducing the risk of costly re-design. In this paper, a platform currently in operation at an aeronautical company for doing extensive automated multi-objective design parameter studies on conceptual designs of aircraft engine components is studied. In the paper, an extension of the capability of the platform into making a rule-based evaluation of the welding manufacturability of the conceptual designs is proposed. The extension is tested by a prototype system at the air-craft manufacturer showing the relation between the design parameters and the manufacturability of the components. The results are presented as a manufacturability index showing what trade-offs with other performance criteria of the engine that can be made. It is shown that the manufacturability evaluation can be integrated in the knowledge value stream and supports a set-based concurrent engineering approach in the company.

Keywords: manufacturability; Cax; robotic welding; set-based concurrent engineering; platform; multi-objective; design for manufacturing; DFM.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPLM.2017.085950

International Journal of Product Lifecycle Management, 2017 Vol.10 No.2, pp.107 - 123

Received: 06 Mar 2016
Accepted: 08 Dec 2016
Published online: 18 Aug 2017 *

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